In the lives of most people, there is a basic need to be recognised as part of a group. Whether it be as a leader, a follower or something in-between, groups bring together those with a common purpose to aggregate collective skills and to accumulate knowledge.

Anthropologists maintain that the reason for this is rooted in the survival instinct, ie that there is safety in numbers. Without stretching the point too much, it makes sense to say that, in a group the odds of success are shortened and that the burden of any failure or misfortune can be shared.

It's part of the nature of most living things to come together as group. There are clear examples of this across the animal kingdom and in the behaviour of human beings, in everything from big business to organised armed conflict. A common thread is that the more organised, disciplined and focused the force, the more successful it is. Whether it be civilian groups such as fire departments and police forces or community and charitable organisations, all work most effectively, together.

Sporting groups bring like-minded people together to advance their own common cause, the most successful being the ones who work together for each other. In recent times internationally, the Japan Karate Association has faced a fair bit of change and witnessed the effects. Here in Australia with the passing of its lifetime administrative head Mr Jeff Green, the JKAA was faced with having to find the right person to fill the office of chairman and, because of the sheer amount of work taken on by Jeff, reset the entire agenda for the future of the association.

At about the same time overseas, debate raged in public and in private before an outcome could be reached in relation to control of a major and respected martial arts group. By contrast, in Australia on the day of the funeral of the chairman, without prompting or debate, JKAA quietly reaffirmed its cohesiveness as the Chief Instructor spoke openly with individuals of all ranks and positions. Solidarity prevailed as Dojo Heads, senior figures and administrators resolved to simply get on with the job.

The point is that there was no need to invoke rules, convene meetings or put anything in writing. Yes, some back-end work had to be done to formalise the change, but this happened after the senior group came together in agreement, not before.

This is the behaviour of an organisation that is grounded in something other than politics or procedures. A group which has no room for the grand-standing of individuals or petty rivalries, disagreements and conflicting opinions. As with all groups, these things do emerge and there have been many bumps along the way, but when the occassion demands, as if to sense the significance, housekeeping takes a back seat and the important business (in this case planning ahead) is taken care of.

JKAA is not perfect but when the chips are down it shows its true colours as an association founded on the goodwill and friendship of its members as well as the bonds that come from the hard and relentless pursuit of excellence in the Karate Dojo.

If the real value of a relationship becomes clear in times of adversity, then in better times literally anything can be achieved. Positive actions result in positive change and lead to more positive actions then, when something neutral or negative pops up, we are insulated and remain strong, so long as we keep a strong connection to the most basic of things, the good of the group and that which binds us - training.

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